Recombinant Parvovirus B19 Pep A Protein (aa 1-230)

Background Intrauterine transfusion (IUT) is the accepted standard for management of severe fetal anaemia. However, fetal transfusion may be associated with procedural complications such as fetal demise. There is a paucity of recent data on outcomes for severe fetal anaemia in Australia as compared with published outcomes from large international centres. Aims To review the indications for and the procedural, obstetric and neonatal outcomes following intrauterine transfusion for fetal anaemia conducted at the New South Wales Fetal Therapy Centre (NSW FTC). Materials and Methods Retrospective cohort study conducted between 2005 and 2017 of the outcomes of 85 IUT procedures (39 pregnancies). Data collected included maternal demographics, procedural and obstetric details and short-term neonatal outcomes. Results Complete outcome data were available for 36/39 pregnancies. Red cell antibodies were the main indication for fetal transfusion (79%, predominantly D, Kell and other Rhesus antibodies) with parvovirus accounting for 8% of procedures. IUT was associated with a pregnancy loss rate of 1.2%/procedure, amounting to 2.6%/pregnancy. Fetal losses were limited to those complicated by hydrops prior to IUT (3/10 hydrops vs 0/26 non-hydropic; P = 0.003). Conclusions Procedural outcomes at NSW FTC compare favourably with international centres (1.1-8.7% procedural loss rate). However, this comparison is limited, as no procedures were performed during the last 24 months of the study. Given this, a nationwide audit is recommended to help guide appropriate centralisation of procedures and thereby maximise clinician experience and outcome.

The ability to monitor the status and progression of viral infections is important for development and screening of new antiviral drugs. Previous research illustrated that the osmolyte glycine (Gly) reduced porcine parvovirus (PPV) infection in porcine kidney (PK-13) cells by stabilizing the capsid protein and preventing virus capsid assembly into viable virus particles. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) was examined herein as a noninvasive, electric field-and frequency-dependent tool for real-time monitoring of PK-13 cell responses to obtain information about membrane barrier functionality and polarization. DEP responses of PK-13 cells were compared to those of PPV-infected cells in the absence and presence of the osmolyte glycine. With infection progression, PK-13 DEP spectra shifted toward lower frequencies, reducing crossover frequencies (f(CO)). The spherical single-shell model was used to extract PK-13 cell dielectric properties. Upon PPV infection, specific membrane capacitance increased over the time progression of virus attachment, penetration, and capsid protein production and assembly. Following glycine treatment, the DEP spectra displayed attenuated f(CO) and specific membrane capacitance values shifted back toward uninfected PK-13 cell values. These results suggest that DEP can be used to noninvasively monitor the viral infection cycle and screen antiviral compounds. DEP can augment traditional tools by elucidating membrane polarization changes related to drug mechanisms that interrupt the virus infection cycle.